(April 29, 2026) Recently, the domestic silica (silica) industry has shown a development trend of "maintaining stability at high prices, expanding green production capacity, accelerating technology iteration, and improving export demand". The high cost of raw materials supports the bottom line of prices, the landing of 10 billion low-carbon projects in Weifang, Shandong Province, the recycling of rice husk ash preparation patents, and the surge in overseas high-end orders, the industry is moving towards a new stage of high quality, greening and high added value.
1. Market price: stabilized at a high level, with strong support on the cost side
As of April 28, 2026, the mainstream quotation of domestic precipitation silica was stable at 6,000-6,200 yuan/ton, and the average price of rubber-grade products was 6,066.67 yuan/ton, the same as at the beginning of the month; The mainstream quotation of silicone rubber grade products is 6800-8000 yuan/ton, and the quotation of high-end vapor phase products is 16000-32000 yuan/ton. At the beginning of April, affected by the sharp rise in the prices of core raw materials such as sulfuric acid, soda ash, and coal, many companies issued letters to raise the ex-factory price by 500 yuan/ton, effectively transmitting cost pressure.
In terms of raw materials, the price of sulfuric acid hit a new high in nearly 20 years, with the benchmark price reaching 1742.50 yuan/ton in early April, an increase of more than 10% month-on-month; Soda ash and coal prices remained high, forming a strong support for the production cost of silica. Industry insiders said that it is difficult for short-term raw material prices to fall sharply, and the silica market may maintain a pattern of "general product stability and high-end rise".
2. Capacity construction: Tens of billions of green projects have been implemented, and the industrial layout has been optimized
At the beginning of April, the EIA of the 200,000 tons/year carbon dioxide acidification silica project (phase I) in Changle County, Weifang, Shandong Province was announced, with a total investment of 1.02 billion yuan, divided into three phases, with an investment of 360 million yuan in the first phase, and an annual output of 60,000 tons of highly dispersed silica after completion, which is expected to be completed and put into operation in February 2027. The project adopts a low-carbon and environmentally friendly carbon dioxide acidification process, which is in line with the national "dual carbon" policy guidance, and will further increase the proportion of domestic high-end silica production capacity after it is put into operation.
At the same time, the elimination of backward production capacity in the industry has accelerated. Jiangsu Province has implemented new regulations in January 2026 to restrict non-gas-phase and non-carbon dioxide acid process silica plants, eliminate ordinary silica plants below 15,000 tons/year, and promote the clearance of low-end production capacity. Leading enterprises have increased their market share through technological transformation and upgrading and capacity expansion, and the industry concentration has continued to increase, and CR10 has increased from 28% in 2021 to 42%.
3. Technological innovation: breakthroughs in recycling patents, and the demand for emerging tracks has exploded
Technology research and development has become the core competitiveness of the industry. On April 23, the patent "A silica and its preparation method and application" applied for by Shaanxi Saikoris was announced, which uses rice husk ash as raw material to prepare silica through microwave-assisted pretreatment, high-pressure spray carbonization and other processes, so as to realize the recycling of agricultural waste and improve the reinforcement performance of rubber. If this technology is industrialized, it will greatly reduce the cost of raw materials and promote the green and low-carbon transformation of the industry.
On the demand side, the application scenarios of silica continue to expand, and emerging tracks have become a new engine for growth. The demand for ultra-fine and high-purity silica in new energy storage, lithium battery separator coatings, electrolyte additives and other fields has surged; The demand for high-end markets such as silicone rubber, high-end coatings, and food additives has grown steadily. According to the data, since April, export orders for highly decentralized, food-grade silica have increased by more than 20% year-on-year, and Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East have become the main incremental markets.
4. Industry outlook: greening, high-end and internationalization have become the main lines of development
According to the analysis of industry experts, the silica industry will show three major development trends in 2026: first, the green transformation is accelerated, and low-carbon processes such as carbon dioxide acidification and rice husk ash recycling will gradually replace traditional high-polluting technologies; second, high-end upgrading, the proportion of highly dispersed, ultra-fine and high-purity products continues to increase, and the room for import substitution is broad; Third, the international layout has accelerated, leading enterprises have expanded the global market through production capacity and standard output, and the international competitiveness of domestic silica has been continuously enhanced.
With the continuous recovery of downstream green tires, new energy, high-end manufacturing and other industries, coupled with the recovery of overseas demand, it is expected that the domestic silica market size will exceed 40 billion yuan in 2026, and the self-sufficiency rate of high-end products is expected to increase to more than 70%.
